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Match Vault: Round 9

Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers – Sunday, 19 January 2014

This season we will be looking ahead to the Reds' Hyundai A-League matches by rolling back the clock and revisiting some of the club’s most memorable clashes against our upcoming opponents.

This week, we turn our attention to Round 15 of the 2012/13 Hyundai A-League season when Adelaide United faced Western Sydney Wanderers at Coopers Stadium – a match that saw a struggling Reds side start a late push for a place in the finals.

The atmosphere in Coopers Stadium was filled with anticipation after the away fans’ march to the stadium set the scene for a European-esque affair.

The visitors arrived in Adelaide confident of earning a result against United, as they were unbeaten in their last seven previous matches. The Reds, on the other hand, were in desperate search of a result after an underwhelming start to the season.

With the stage set and 11,356 fans waiting in anticipation, the spectacle kicked off favourably, as Carrusca’s side footed effort put the home side ahead after just three minutes.

It was all thanks to the tenacious work down the left flank by Tarek Elrich who was adamant to attack and ultimately found the Argentinian for the finish.

Jeronimo was a constant threat throughout the match, narrowly missing a one-on-one opportunity when he was slotted through behind a strong Wanderers backline.

A spectacularly executed Shinji Ono bicycle kick from the edge of the 18-yard-box that slammed onto the roof of the net rounded out a rather timid first half.

The match took a turn in the second half after Bruce Djite’s snapshot effort just before 70 minutes narrowly flew past Covic’s right post.

This sparked the visitors into action as Brendon Santalab took two efforts on goal in two minutes.

But United were able to secure the 1-0 victory thanks to some superb goal keeping by Eugene Galekovic and a resilient defensive performance.

They had the chance to double their tally just before injury time when Jeronimo’s darting run to the penalty spot resulted in a strong shot straight at goalkeeper Covic.

In a match with few opportunities, the Reds showed flashes of their potential under Gombau and went on to secure a place in the finals series.